Gould Recordings 39-49 – Grieg, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Hindemith, Wagner

This batch of Gould records (which includes recordings from 1973-1976) was less interesting, as a whole, than the previous batches, though there were some bright spots. I listened to most of them enough times to feel reasonably sure in my judgments (probably at least 5-10 times for each, with one notable exception). #39 - Grieg … Continue reading Gould Recordings 39-49 – Grieg, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Hindemith, Wagner →

Glenn Gould and glenn gould on Beethoven

...you... have clearly developed a resentment pattern in relation to those tunes... You resent the fact that... those motives ... can be sung, whistled, or toe-tapped by anyone--any laymen. -- "Glenn Gould Interviews Himself about Beethoven" Gould slips this admittedly elitist anti-Beethoven argument in a strange rhetorical context - "gg" interviewing "GG" - and "gg" (the … Continue reading Glenn Gould and glenn gould on Beethoven →

Gould Recordings 27-38 (Mozart, Bach, Schumann, Beethoven, Byrd, Gibbons, Schoenberg, Handel)

This is a pretty eclectic bunch of recordings. Probably my favorites in this cluster are #35 -"Consort of Musicke Bye William Byrde and Orlando Gibbons," followed by #38 - the Handel Suites, as a close second. The three Mozart recordings are tied for worst in this group. 27. Mozart / Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1: Nos. … Continue reading Gould Recordings 27-38 (Mozart, Bach, Schumann, Beethoven, Byrd, Gibbons, Schoenberg, Handel) →

The Glenn Gould Reader

I just finished the compilation of things Gould wrote and have been collected by Tim Page in The Glenn Gould Reader. I'm guessing a lot of the excerpts in here are available elsewhere online. I've extracted some quotations that might spark discussion, or at least amusement (see below). About the book more generally - there's about … Continue reading The Glenn Gould Reader →

Glenn Gould’s Beethoven First and Second Piano Concertos

Of all the first 30 or so recordings or so - most of which I've listened to in a pretty focused way, on multiple occasions - the five Beethoven piano concerto recordings have been the ones I've returned to most often. I've tried my best to share my thoughts about the first two here. One … Continue reading Glenn Gould’s Beethoven First and Second Piano Concertos →

Gould Recordings 16-26 – Bach, Beethoven, Beethoven/Liszt, Schoenberg

You could call these recordings Gould's "later early period" maybe, running from 1962-1967. I'll try to stick to one paragraph per recording. Once again, I was able to find everything on Spotify. If you follow me there you can get all the playlists I made. My favorite recording here is the Bach concerto #3; my … Continue reading Gould Recordings 16-26 – Bach, Beethoven, Beethoven/Liszt, Schoenberg →

Gould Recordings 11-15 – Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Schoenberg, R. Strauss

This is a broad range of music; I've tried my best to devote a paragraph to each recording. I also intend (soon) to write longer entries about Gould's Beethoven Concertos, and also the Glenn Gould record collection I've started. Once again, just about all this music should turn up on Spotify or YouTube if you … Continue reading Gould Recordings 11-15 – Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Schoenberg, R. Strauss →

Gould Recordings 4-9 and an Interview

I'll talk about the interview first. It's called "At Home with Glenn Gould" and is in 9 8-minute segments on YouTube if you want to listen. It's from the late 50's, and shed a lot of light on my experiences of these recordings so far. What I think came out most was a sense of humility … Continue reading Gould Recordings 4-9 and an Interview →

Two Concertos (Concerti?)

The third major-release record Gould recorded again pairs Bach and Beethoven. Gould selected Beethoven's 2nd, in B Flat Major, and Bach's D Minor Concerto. They're both three-movement concertos, following the common three-movement tempo pattern of medium-slow-fast. Gould was often quoted as saying he wanted to avoid the "competitive" aspect of concerto performance, where the soloist's … Continue reading Two Concertos (Concerti?) →

Gould’s First Two Columbia Recordings – Bach and Beethoven

It’s surprising how different these two recordings are – Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s 30th-32nd sonatas. They both bear the mark on the same performer, and though I still don’t know that I’m qualified to say things like “this performer’s take on such-and-such piece is better than that performer’s” or “this performer is better at … Continue reading Gould’s First Two Columbia Recordings – Bach and Beethoven →